I love history so therefore I love historical sites and I often seek such sites out when I'm in the…read morearea or in this case right down the road from my home. Although a little off the beaten path I have driven through this neighborhood a number of times and today I decided to stop and take a closer look. It's relatively easy to find but one should obey the speed limit and show some respect. Located in the middle of the street on a tiny tree and flower filled dirt island on Canova Drive in New Smyrna Beach, the memorial is dedicated to Charles Dummett, a teenager who died in 1860. The Historic Account The son of Douglas D. Dummett, a landowner, and Leandra "Anna" Fernandez, Charles Dummett died when he was just 15 years old. While the exact cause of his death remains a mystery, most accounts attribute it to a hunting accident. The elder Dummett was said to be so saddened by the loss of his son that he built the young man's grave right where his body was found. It's remained there ever since. In the 1950s, developers who were working in the area decided to build a road around the memorial instead of embarking on the long legal process of getting permission to move it. According to a 2019 article in the Daytona Beach News Journal, an anonymous artist added a statue of a dog to the gravesite and on most days there are still fresh flowers laid on the tomb...

Although I am not a fan of beavers in general the Buc-ee's Beaver Mascot statue is fairly cute! We…read morehave had a Buc-ee's near our house for several years now and the Buc-ee beaver mascot statue gets a lot of attention every time we visit Buc-ee's! People absolutely love having their photograph taken with him! There's no shortage of Buc-ee's items that feature the grinning beaver (hats, t-shirts, plush/stuffed animals, Beaver Nuggets, and countless additional items!) Turns out, the reason Buc-ee's mascot is a beaver is the Buc-ee's CEO, Arch Aplin's childhood nickname, as bestowed on him by his Mom, was "Beaver." This nickname was inspired by a toothpaste commercial featuring a space-age version of a beaver named Bucky Beaver. Aplin also named his Labrador retriever, Buck, and honored his beloved pup with the Buc-ee's name! If you haven't been to a Buc-ee's, you really should visit one! It's quite the experience and if you're lucky ,you may see a Buc-ee's Beaver Mascot inside ready to give you a hug or pose for a photograph with you!

The Buc-ee's beaver mascot is a five foot tall structure made of bronze by the Heart Art Foundry…read moreand welcomes every visitor into the store. It is an intensive process to fabricate each beaver and takes up to three months by first making a 4" model. Then enlarging it by making a rubber mold and filling the mold with metal. The statue is constructed in twelve different pieces, before being welded together to form the animated iconic buck tooth beaver. If you get a chance to visit Buc-ee's, make sure you rub his head and snap a selfie with him to build his confidence.

I love the areas in and around Crescent City, Florida and frequently camp here throughout the year…read more This small municipality seems to always have something to celebrate which is a testament to the people that call it home and although my interactions with the people have been somewhat limited I can say they are very welcoming people and there are no strangers here. The city has access to an abundance of water and forests and when I first started coming here I felt it was a little isolated and very remote but I've come to learn that's not always the case and find it's the perfect place to find your own personal space yet enjoy plenty of convenience when it comes to the local businesses. I love that Crescent City still cherishes it's history and the people that came before them, there are many hidden treasures here that haven't been exploited, it still small town American that embraces it's culture and welcomes everyone with open arms and definitely earns it's definition of "Old Florida Charm" which is so attractive to me. Located on the shores of Crescent Lake this city offers plenty of access to some of the best freshwater fishing in the state and is still referred to as "The Bass Capital of the World" and offers a lot of opportunities to view the beautiful sunrises across the lake with its's tranquil setting, it's the perfect place to enjoy a fresh cup of morning coffee while relaxing somewhere along the shoreline, you don't need to have a pre-planned agenda to come here once you arrive the day will unfold before you. As an example one of my favorite restaurants El Amigo Restaurant breakfast service starts at 9:00 AM now that's laid back n' low key...

This is wonderful facility that is staffed with extremely friendly employees, although I never miss…read morethe opportunity to vote this was my first time coming here. There were a number of people coming in and out of this facility but there were plenty of windows staffed to assist everyone without a wait. I usually do mail in balloting but decided to drop off my ballot in person to have it scanned and accounted for, it's not that I'm not trusting of the USPS, it's just it's that important to me to exercise my right to vote while eliminating third party handling. I prefer to cast my vote in person on Election Day but my past travel schedule forced me to sign up for absentee voting which I plan on changing going forward. We are very fortunate to have these options here in Florida and it's good to see it's all managed in a very secure facility, so there's no good reason for anyone legally registered to vote in these United States not to do their part and participate in one of our most sacred of rights...

Definitely a hidden gem on Flagler Ave in NSB, I must of walked by this beautiful tree a thousand…read moretimes and never gave it a second look. After taking a few minutes to check it out closer I assumed it was hundreds of years old, well apparently it's only 36 years and grew from a stump leftover after the freeze of 1989 although many say it's much older and some reference seeing this tree on postcards in the early 1950's. It's definitely worth a few minutes of your time if you're in the area. Although these trees are not native to Florida I'm sure the city will protect it as much as possible for many years to come and although it's thriving this far north who knows what Mother Nature has in store. The Placard Reads: The Banyan Tree The Banyan tree, like the rubber tree, is from the Indian subcontinent and is a member of the fig tree family. Banyan trees were brought to Florida by the Ford Motor Company in the early 1900s in an attempt to source a faster-growing alternative to the rubber tree for automobile tire production. Although the experiment was not successful, some specimens from that time still remain along our southern Gulf Coast. Banyan trees don't usually thrive in Central Florida; however, this one does! It's been speculated that this tree was brought here from South Florida in the early 20th century and planted in the front yard of a home that once stood nearby. Today, our tree is considered to be the oldest and largest Banyan tree found outside of South Florida. City of New Smyrna Beach Local Landmark Site

Awesome and beautiful old tree alive and healthy. Beautifully right beside the main street…read more Beautiful area, very well kept. Just discovered today for the first time.

It looks like your typical sub-station. The only difference is it's on the water, and by a boat…read moreramp. Also has a Pokémon stop. It's beautiful!

Just outside Deland, Florida lies the St. Johns River a true Eco-system that provides a cross…read moresection of Florida's incredible wildlife, on any given day you will see everything from alligators, manatees, herons, egrets, osprey, otters, turtles and even the occasional bear, deer or American Bald Eagle. It's been almost 100 years since people first started driving across this river at this location, the original Crows Bluff Bridge was a swing span bridge; constructed in 1917, in 1954, a plan for construction of a replacement bridge was established; the new bridge, dedicated to DeLand resident Francis P. Whitehair, opened on September 22, 1955 and was built to carry traffic across the river for a century. Unfortunately that was an estimated life span and the bridge is showing signs that it may not survive much longer, especially since the maintenance cost for these mechanical marvels are more than 100 times that of the new modern concrete bridges built today. When terms like "functionally obsolete" and "not eligible for the National Register of Historic Places" are slung around you know your days are numbered.

I am not sure why a fire department is even on Yelp but how can I not give a shout out to these…read moregreat people. Thank you for everything you do.